Posted on 12/27/2010 12:41:21 PM PST by SeekAndFind
And so it begins, and on the most fertile red-state territory in the nation. Texas, which got four more seats in the House through the 2010 Census reapportionment, has had its air-quality rules superceded by the EPA as part of its aggressive new action on carbon emissions. Governor Rick Perry promises a fight:
The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday effectively declared Texas unfit to regulate its owngreenhouse gas emissions and took over carbon dioxide permitting of any new or expanding industrial facilities starting Jan. 2.
The EPA also set up a framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions in seven other states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon and Wyoming. In addition, the agency set a timetable on establishing regulated levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
The action will give the EPA permitting authority over refineries, power plants and cement facilities in Texas, the agency said, but will not affect small pollution source facilities, such as restaurants and farms.
Well, perhaps not directly, but the increase in energy prices and shortages created by the EPA imposition of what will essentially be carbon taxes will impact businesses throughout the Texas economy, as well as consumers who ultimately pay the costs of the regulatory regime. Rick Perry has signaled a court fight to stop the EPA and the Obama administration:
Texas is the only state that has refused to implement the new rules. President Barack Obama is pressing ahead with the regulations after Congress failed to pass legislation capping carbon emissions. Perry, a Republican, calls the rules overreaching by the federal government that will cripple his state’s economy.
“The EPA’s misguided plan paints a huge target on the backs of Texas agriculture and energy producers by implementing unnecessary, burdensome mandates on our state’s energy sector, threatening hundreds of thousands of Texas jobs and imposing increased living costs on Texas families,” Katherine Cesinger, a Perry spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.
The timing is certainly interesting. The EPA made this move two days before Christmas, when most people had stopped paying attention to political news. The EPA’s move thus got missed by most of the national media, even though it demonstrates well the Obama strategy in 2011 to win through regulation what it could not win through legislation. And by focusing on Texas, where Republicans have a chance to redistrict with practically no interference from Democrats, the move will certainly incentivize the GOP to limit as much as possible the representation of Democrats in their Congressional delegation as the Republican-controlled House attempts to stymie the EPA’s regulatory innovation.
This also will vault Rick Perry to the highest level of national politics, even as he continues to insist that he won’t run for President. With a third term as governor in hand and a perfect political battle opening in front of him, though, the opportunity may be too much to resist for a man who could possibly unite conservatives and the GOP for a big run against a stumbling Obama in 2012.
It doesn’t outweigh the rest of the state, unlike in MO. Also, as long as they are bottled up in Austin, they don’t get to harm anyone else. :)
“write your congressman... although I doubt they will care enough to read your concerns.”
Maybe not, but at least they’ll have something to light their cigar with.
I learned the hard way that most of them have only contempt for us ‘little people’.
We learned from the immigration debate that states aren’t responsible for enforcing federal laws.
lol.
Wow, I could have sworn that California was way higher on that list. I recall hearing somewhere that we were at or near the top when the battle in Iraq began. Maybe I was wrong. I just sent one off in August and another will go to basic in May. Maybe that’ll bump the stats a bit.;o)
The president can simply Federalize the state National guard.
This is a good idea to start. Alaska and other states who can operate independently should be working on this, as well as other plans.
All we are saying, is give War a chance.
If I recall correctly that has been changed. Wasn’t there a long debate about Kennedy federalizing the National Guard over the objections of Wallace? A violation of states rights or something like that.
SECEDE!
You're showing your age. :)
Yeah, I'd side with Texas and the south as well. This federal government has overstepped its bounds, and it's getting worse.
“I wish ALL the STATES would stand up to Washington in this way...”
####
Should happen.
Won’t happen.
Yeah, not even in Texas.
The COLLAPSE is coming. If nothing changes — it WILL happen.
Then — EVERYTHING you thought was impossible, becomes utterly possible — perhaps even likely — overnight.
The COLLAPSE is coming. Never say “Never.”
:-)
I have no doubt that if the South had forced the Union to recognize them as an independent nation slavery would have died a natural death, the north would be more like socialist Europe, and the south would be more like what the US is supposed to be like.
If at first you don’t secede, try, try again.
Oregon and Maine have terrible job prospects for young people. D.C. does, too, but they learn their loyalty from the elites living in D.C., and see from them no vision of shared sacrifice.
END THE EPA...EDU...INTERIOR....ENERGY..ETCETC.
HUCK HAS A PETITION DRIVE TO REPEAL OBAMACARE.
It is time to start a push to end agencies that rule by fiat, without the approval of the people ( House)
Slavery was an invention of Mass (by a Black man).
No idea that comes from Northern Liberals deserves the light of day.
Prior to secession, there IS one thing that the Governor and the Texas Legislature need to get together and do: Draft a Constitution for a new National Government. Feel free to base it upon the U.S. Constitution, but take pains to remedy verbiage in the original that has proven vulnerable to, er, “reinterpretation.” Also, make it a point to sift through the various and sundry Amendments, and cull out the weak sisters among them (16th, etc).
Perhaps restrict the right to vote to those who are actual stakeholders (land owners, business proprietors, investors, etc), rather than simply residents. Either way, make the presentation of legal, verifiable identification mandatory.
Maybe constitutionally outlaw the imposition of property and estate taxes... Whatever you end up with, it had better not be 2,000+ pages, or we’ll all know there were RINOs involved, and that’ll kill the whole deal.
Anyhow, at the time of secession, publish the draft document, and invite any and all like-minded States to join Texas in the formation of a new Nation having that Constitution as its foundation.
Then sit back with a cold brew and watch as the game transforms into Constitution v. Constitution, and — all across America — “We, The People” wake up to a real opportunity to grab the brass ring of freedom; to decide which Constitution better defines the True nature of Liberty (above the purview of governments to define or to limit), and better protects same.
The gambit might not have the magnitude of impact that one might like, but it’s a fair bet that a half dozen States would jump that fence in short order, and MANY others would face great popular pressure to follow suit. Those that didn’t come on along would face serious issues with net outmigration, and the first problem faced by the new Nation would be how to deal with a sudden influx of Americans who’s former States of residence hadn’t had the foresight to abandon a sinking ship of state.
Whatever the ultimate outcome, it’d be worth it all just to subject the elites in Washington D.C. and their leg-humping media presstitutes to that intense degree of pucker factor.
I’m sure compliance with the EPA regulations will require some hugely expensive equipment. Does anyone know who manufactures this equipment? Could it be General Electric? It seems like everything Obama does is designed to help GE and/or the unions!
To hell with the Court battle...
Tell the Marxist bastards at the EPA to come to Texas and MAKE US obey!
Then when the a-holes arrive...
You Texans open up on them with EVERYTHING you got!
ANNIHILATE them!!!
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